By-Laws

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC): The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada was established under an Act of Parliament in 1883 as Canada’s National Academy, the senior collegium of distinguished scholars, artists and scientists in the country.

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BY-LAWS

The RSC is a Federal Corporation as mandated by the act of Parliament that established it in 1883. Such Corporations are referred to as “Special Act Corporations” (SAC). The Royal Society of Canada is thus subject to the provisions of the Canada Corporations Act. Recent revisions of that legislation applying to not for profit corporations required some changes in the By-Laws.

As a result, Professor Ken Davey was nominated by the Executive Committee of the RSC to serve as Chair of the Task Force on the By-Laws. The Task Force - composed of the Chair, representatives from the three Academies, and the Honorary Secretary - agreed on a set of principles that ought to be reflected in the By-Laws of the Royal Society of Canada. With the support of the Executive Committee and of the RSC Council, the Task Force applied these principles in drafting a revised set of new By-Laws with the help of legal counsel. These revised By-Laws were approved in principle by the Executive Committee in August 2013. The Task Force then produced a final draft, incorporating the input of the Executive Committee and Council that was endorsed unanimously - without dissent - at the Annual Business Meeting in November 2013 in Banff, Alberta.